Shame on you, Ram Kadam!

Highlights

“I will abduct the girl and give her to the boy for marriage,” Ram Kadam said

At the Ghatkopar Dahi Handi event, he gave the crowd his number if they needed such help

Kadam also claimed the clip is distorted; BJP spokesperson Madhav Bhandari said that the party had accepted the MLA’s explanation

BJP MLA SAYS IF A BOY IN LOVE SEEKS HIS HELP, HE WILL KIDNAP THE GIRL AND BRING HER TO HIM

His party says Beti Bachao, he says Beti Bhagao.

While the BJP-led government advocates Beti Bachao, one of its MLAs seems to be supporting a Beti Bhagao campaign. Ram Kadam, a BJP MLA from Ghatkopar West, who is also the state party spokesperson, announced to young men during dahi handi celebrations that he would help abduct any girl who has turned down a suitor’s proposal and present the girl before the boy and his parents for marriage.

Ghatkopar, with high prize money, are a huge draw every year. Even Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis visited this year. The CM was, however, saved the blushes as he had left by the time Kadam made this damning statement on Monday. The minute-long video has now gone viral.

Will kidnap women for you, says BJP MLA Ram Kadam

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In the video, Kadam is heard speaking about a situation where a lovelorn youth approached him for help. “The boy said, ‘Saheb, I have proposed to her and she has rejected my proposal. Please help me’.

This is wrong, I will help you 100 per cent. Bring your parents to me and if they give their consent then what will I do?” Kadam asks the gathered crowd.

Someone from crowd can be heard saying that, ‘You will help us get married.’ After a brief pause, Kadam says, “I will abduct the girl and give her to the boy for marriage.” Kadam even gave his number to the crowd asking him to call him in case they need any such help.

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In his defence, Kadam told Mirror, “The clip is distorted. It has been edited and it doesn’t show what I have said before or after. I had said, “I will take you (boy) to the girl’s parents and only if they agree, I will get you married to her.”

A grab from the purported video where Ram Kadam is heard speaking about a situation where a lovelorn youth approached him for help. In his defence, the MLA said that the clip is distorted (TWITTER)

His comment has expectedly met with sharp criticism from political rivals. His own party, though, has stood by him. State BJP chief spokesperson Madhav Bhandari said that the party had accepted the MLA’s explanation. “He has said that his speech was distorted, and it was not the complete speech. We have accepted it.”

Opposition parties were not as willing to let Kadam’s words slide. State Congress president Ashok Chavan said, “They talk of Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao. However, their actions have led to the people saying ‘BJP se Beti bachao’.”

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) spokesperson Nawab Malik said that as the MLA was talking about abducting women, “He should no longer be called Ram Kadam, but Ravan Kadam.”

Yuva Sena chief Aaditya Thackeray tweeted, “One BJP MLA has offered from a stage to help boys kidnap girls and marry them even against the will of the girls. I guess he believes marriage is like forming a govt. Ashamed and disgraced that he sits in the legislative assembly of Maharashtra- a land of culture & women liberty.”

Not just an outright apology from him, but I’d want to know from the Home Minister of Maharashtra what action will… https://t.co/m1Z0rykzMK

Mirror tried to get the chief minister’s response to his party colleague’s comment. But he did not respond till the time of going to press.

Vijaya Rahatkar, chairperson of the Maharashtra State Commission for Women, a body that is usually at the forefront of speaking up for women’s issues in the state, was cautious in her response. Incidentally, Rahatkar is also national president of BJP’s Mahila Morcha. In a video posted on Twitter, she says, “Kadam’s statement is a controversial one. Even if he is claiming that it has been distorted, he should have been cautious and used discretion, while making statements about women. This is true not only about Kadam but about all elected representatives.”

Kadam started his political career as a personal assistant to late BJP leader Pramod Mahajan. After Mahajan’s death in 2006, Kadam switched loyalties and joined Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) and got elected as an MLA in 2009. Just before 2014 election, he switched back to the BJP.

Kadam courted controversy in November 2016 when he gifted a Mercedes to his 13-year-old son at a time when the country was standing in queues at ATMs to withdraw their hard-earned cash in the aftermath of demonetisation.

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